RBC | The 911 surcharge is imposed by a local governing body, the 911 authority board, to pay costs incurred for the continued operation of emergency telephone service within that governing body’s jurisdiction, such as for equipment, installation and other directly related costs.
The jurisdiction is set by the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) which follows the Fire/EMS jurisdiction lines. Rio Blanco has two 911 authority boards, East Rio Blanco and West Rio Blanco. The Eastern 911 Board was established in August of 1989.
Monies used to fund the 911 center are collected by each cell phone carrier. The carrier is notified of the Emergency Telephone Charge (surcharge) that the 911 board has implemented and which has been ratified by the Colorado Public Utility Commission. As of Feb. 1, 2023, both East and West 911 authority boards charge at the set rate of $1.97 per phone number. Monies received by the PSAP can only be spent to support the 911 center in the jurisdiction in which it was collected.
Since 2020 the East 911 Authority Board has spent $200K of the surcharge monies. Monies have been used to upgrade the 911 phone system in the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office Communication Center, purchase new radio consolettes (the old ones were 25 years old) and upgrade the Emergency Medical Dispatch protocol, recording system and reverse 911.
The East Rio Blanco 911 Board is comprised of the following:
– Two representatives from Fire/EMS: East 911 President Chief Luke Pelloni and representative Laura Smith
– One representative from Town of Meeker: East 911 Vice President Eddie Thompson
– One representative from Sheriff’s Office: representative Sheriff Anthony Mazzola
– One representative from Pioneers Hospital: representative Wade Bradfield
– One Rio Blanco representative from the 878 prefix: representative Eddie Smercina
East Rio Blanco will have their next meeting May 24, 2023, at 12 p.m. at the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office.
If you have any questions or would like information on meetings please feel free to reach out to Nicole Mendenhall at 970-878-9630.
PRESS RELEASE
Submitted to the Herald Times